You would have thought Barnet had gained all three points and escaped the dreaded drop judging by the wild scenes of celebration at Underhill on Saturday.

Sam Deering's fluke last-gasp equaliser only earned the Bees a point and they remain in the relegation zone, but it was the manner in which that point was achieved that was worth celebrating.

New boss Martin Allen said he wanted the players to start enjoying their football again - and the fans certainly enjoyed this pulsating clash with the runaway league leaders.

There was no doubt the players were up for the fight. From the start, they chased every ball.

The draw was no more than the Bees deserved.

Allen also praised the fans for doing their bit afterwards. He said that one of his players came into the dressing room at the end of the game and said that it was 'the best the crowd had been all season' at Underhill.

There was certainly an excellent atmosphere, the late 6pm kick-off, meaning the game had to be played under the lights, also helped make it a special evening.

And yet it looked like Allen's return to the club would end in a home defeat.

Chesterfield took just 20 minutes to break the deadlock, Dean Smalley tapping into an empty net after on-loan keeper Sam Walker had pushed a Craig Davies shot right into his path.

And all hope appeared to be lost when the Spireites added a second within a minute of the second half, Davies curling the ball into the top corner from a central position.

It was a beautiful strike, but Deering responded soon after with a cracker of his own, the diminutive winger smacking the ball into the roof of the net from 20 yards.

The Bees finished the game with four strikers on the pitch and it paid dividends, though the late equaliser was the strangest goal you will ever see.

The match was already in stoppage time when Deering crossed from the right. Keeper Tommy Lee thought the ball was going out and decided to make no attempt to stop it, but somehow it flashed between him and his near post, much to the astonishment of everyone.

It was the sort of luck Barnet had been missing most of this season, though few would have begrudged the Bees a point after this wholehearted and swashbuckling performance.

BARNET: Walker; Cox (Stimson 85), Devera, Kamdjo, Parkes; Fraser (Deering 45), Stirling, Jarvis (Midson 73), Marshall; McLeod, Kabba. Subs not used: O'Brien, Byrne, Hughes, Southam.

Attendance: 2,012.